Thursday, January 3, 2013
The first meteor shower of 2013 is taking place this week.
The Quadrantid meteor shower is named for an extinct constellation, but the shooting stars that seem to sprout from it still arrive yearly, and the opening of the 2013 show began overnight Jan. 1, into Jan. 2. But the heavenly show peaks in the wee hours Friday, Jan. 4, amid a Roswell sky that should be clearing after partly cloudy conditions through much of Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. The Quadrantids is one of the lesser-known meteor showers of the year, but that doesn't mean it's anything less than spectacular. Take a look at this Quadrantids meteor shower video or these pictures of the Quadrantids. While the shower begins overnight on the first day of the new year, NASA tells us the Quadrantid meteor shower …
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
The most reliable meteor shower of the year, the Geminids, is on its way – make plans to enjoy the light show in Roswell.
The Geminid meteor shower 2012, the final major meteor shower of every year and likely to be the best, peaks overnight Dec. 13 until dawn on Dec. 14. If you liked the Perseids meteor shower 2012 in August, you should love this show. NASA reports that the Geminids are a relatively young meteor shower, with the first sightings occurring in the 1830s with rates of about 20 per hour. Over the decades the rates have increased, regularly spawning between 80 and 120 per hour at its peak on a clear evening. How spectacular is it? Just take a look at some spectacular photos of the Geminids. Earthsky.org reports the Geminids peak might be around 2 a.m. on Dec. 13, because that’s when the shower’s radiant point is highest in the sky as seen around …
Monday, December 3, 2012
One science journalist says he has an idea of what it will be.
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Monday, December 3, 2012
NASA says it will release what's being called a noteworthy finding by the Curiosity rover now investigating the surface of Mars on Monday, Dec. 3. Rumors began flying after chief Curiosity scientist John Grotzinger was quoted by NPR as saying that the rover had recently gathered data "for the history books." However, NASA downplayed expectations in a statement Friday. "Rumors and speculation that there are major new findings from the mission at this early stage are incorrect," officials at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory wrote. "At this point in the mission, the instruments on the rover have not detected any definitive evidence of Martian organics." JPL officials added that the announcement, set for noon at the fall meeting of the …
Monday, June 4, 2012
You'll probably be dead the next time this happens, so watch it on Tuesday evening.
A little after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, residents of our area will have an opportunity to witness one of the rarest predictable celestial events: a transit of Venus. Often referred to as the "Evening Star" or "Morning Star," Venus is the brightest natural object in our sky after the Sun and the Moon. As the second planet from the Sun, it's closer to the Sun than the Earth is. A "transit" of Venus occurs when Venus passes between us and the Sun in such a way that we can see Venus's silhouette backlit by the Sun's brilliant light. It last happened in 2004, but it won't happen again until 2117. So, unless you plan to shatter some human longevity records, this is probably your last chance. The Coca-Cola Space Science Center in Columbus Georgia will…
